Girls tennis: Sectional champ Schoenberg looking forward to state

One more step, and it's mission accomplished.

For Grant senior Gaby Schoenberg, the ultimate icing on the cake would be winning a girls tennis state singles title next weekend at Buffalo Grove, a sweet finish to what has been a stellar four-year career at the Fox Lake school.

"I was so nervous my first year going to state as a freshman," said Schoenberg, who cruised past Warren freshman sensation Sabrina Mella 6-0, 6-0 for the singles title at the Class 2A Lakes sectional on Saturday afternoon. "I was playing all of these great players and hoping I'd become one of those players everyone else would be trying to beat."

Well, Schoenberg certainly has become exactly that and then some, as this will be her fourth trip to the state tournament. She finished in the top 24 as a sophomore and in the top 12 last year in her junior campaign.

"She's been so consistent and gotten better and better every year," Bulldogs coach Shea Wintersteen said. "The experience has definitely helped. She's playing longer points and knows when to take certain shots. It's so much easier for a coach when you have someone like her in your lineup."

Schoenberg used a combination of strong serving and an aggressive backhand that had Mella scrambling.

"We have very similar games, but I think she got a little tired," said Schoenberg, who is 26-1 this year and in the first match of the season was locked in a good battle with Mella before the match was rained out. "I'm just going to shoot for the stars - and hopefully land on the moon!"

While the Cleveland State-bound Schoenberg is closing out her high school career, rest assured tennis fans will be seeing plenty of Mella over the next three-plus years.

She has plenty of precedent, as Mella has two sisters playing collegiately.

"State was definitely the goal this year," said Mella, the youngest of five siblings and currently ranked 150th in the USTA 16-year-old division rankings for the Midwest. "I just want to try and keep the tradition going. Coaches have been giving me this fighting spirit and I've been more aggressive."

In doubles action, Libertyville seniors Callie Klein and Dani Blaser will also make a return trip to state after tripping up Lake Forest's Nika Belova and Julianna Roman 6-1, 6-3.

"The high-fives are still going strong - keeps us positive, and keeps the momentum going," said Blaser, who qualified for state in singles last fall while Klein had to take a year off due to back surgery.

The two are four-year varsity players and are currently 23-5. They qualified together for state in doubles as sophomores and finished in the top 20 before Klein's injury.

"It was a little nerve-wracking two years ago our first time to state, but this year we're a lot more confident and very excited that we have a chance to go back and go out with a bang," said Klein.

The Warren duo of seniors Kristina Danos and Lily Honnold will also make a return trip to state.

Despite losing to Lake Forest's Salma Alsikafi and Emily Asmjussen 6-2, 6-1, Danos and Donnold still finished with a fourth-place medal as state berths were awarded to the top-four finishers in singles and doubles.

In the team standings, Lake Forest took home the first-place plaque with 29 points, followed by Warren (22), Libertyville (20), Grant (14) and Grayslake Central fifth (10).

• The Class 1A Antioch sectional was also held at the Dist. 117 Tennis Complex in Lake Villa.

Host Antioch will be well represented in Buffalo Grove.

Returning state qualifiers, senior Sjana Henderson and junior Kelsey Neville, wound up battling each other for the sectional singles crown.

There were a lot of grins and smiles back and forth but in the end, Henderson fought valiantly but settled for second after falling to her teammate 6-1, 6-3.

"It was kind of hard playing my own teammate but I just tried to play my game and give her the best match possible," said Henderson. "I'm excited to go back to state especially this being my last year. My backhand has been strong and I've gotten more power."

Perhaps a little winded after a grueling three-set semifinal, the Antioch doubles team of seniors Emma DeJong and Elizabeth Gardner will also get a chance to go out with a bang.

The duo settled for fourth place after falling to Woodstock in the third-place match 6-1, 6-4.

Antioch took home the sectional plaque after amassing 28 points, 4 better than second-place Marian Central with 24.